A few days into the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, we have another big disappointment but also an out-of-nowhere favorite among the competition titles. Also, an anticipated sequel gets raves, as does Robert Pattinson.

The Captive

Atom Egoyan's latest stars Ryan Reynolds as a man whose daughter has been abducted, and it seems to be another dud from the once-great Canadian auteur.

"May be his worst film," claims David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter. "There's no evidence of a personal investment in any of the characters or in the standard-issue dramatic themes, despite echoes of his earlier work."

"A further retreat from whatever gifts once made him a filmmaker worth our attention," adds Drew McWeeny at HitFix, "and it left me wondering if we'll ever see that guy again."

"So misjudged from start to finish it feels like a terrible dream," writes Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian.

But there's always one who's not like the others: "Egoyan’s best film for a very long time," proclaims Robbie Collin at The Telegraph. "A welcome return to the form of The Sweet Hereafter."

How to Train Your Dragon 2

The animated sequel we're all looking forward to this summer sounds like it satisfies expectations.

"This is how franchises are supposed to work," raves Drew McWeeny at HitFix. "A well-told story with characters worth our time and attention, set in a world that is rich with possibility."

However, The Playlist's Oliver Lyttelton says it won't disappoint fans of the original, but "It's just a shame that it doesn't quite have the same beating heart as its predecessor."

Wild Tales

Pedro Almodovar produced this portmanteau film from director Damian Szifron, and it looks like it's going to be one of the big hits of the fest.

"A brilliant social satire," raves Eric Kohn of Indiewire. "the movie unfolds like a Buñuel comedy on speed, veering from one gasp-inducing instance to another."

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter calls it "a riotously funny and cathartic exorcism of the frustrations of contemporary life."

"A terrific film and a real find in Cannes," writes Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian.

"For pure viewing pleasure, the one wild card in the Cannes competition this year is unlikely to be beaten," adds Jay Weissberg at Variety.

The Rover

David Michod's follow-up to Animal Kingdom is a postapocalyptic thriller starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson, and it's been receiving mixed reviews.

Scott Foundas at Variety says the film "has a desolate beauty all its own, and a career-redefining performance by Robert Pattinson."

Drew McWeeny of HitFix has this to say about the former Edward Cullen: "While I'm not crazy about the film as a whole, if Pattinson keeps making choices like this... there may actually be a future for him where people are genuinely shocked to learn that he starred in the Twilight movies."

"Underwhelming" is what The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw calls it. "After a terrific start, the film begins to meander, to lose its way, and its grip."

Deals

The Blue Room - Actor Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace) directs this mystery film, which has been picked up by Sundance Selects.

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